Search

SUMMARY The Lord–Shulman thermoelasticity theory combined with Biot equations of poroelasticity, describes wave dissipation due to fluid and heat flow. This theory avoids an unphysical behaviour of the thermoelastic waves present in the classical theory based on a parabolic heat equation, that is infinite velocity. A plane-wave analysis predicts four propagation modes: the classical P and S waves and two slow waves, namely, the Biot and thermal modes. We obtain the frequency-domain Green's function in homogeneous media as the displacements-temperature solution of the thermo-poroelasticity equations. The numerical examples validate the presence of the wave modes predicted by the plane-wave analysis. The S wave is not affected by heat diffusion, whereas the P wave shows an anelastic behaviour, and the slow modes present a diffusive behaviour depending on the viscosity, frequency and thermoelasticity properties. In heterogeneous media, the P wave undergoes mesoscopic attenuation through energy conversion to the slow modes. The Green's function is useful to study the physics in thermoelastic media and test numerical algorithms.

Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Accumulating evidence reveals the significance of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in various cancers. The current study aimed to evaluate the role of GATA6 antisense RNA 1 (GATA6-AS1) in the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and lymph node metastasis (LNM) in GC. GC-related microarray datasets were initially retrieved from the GEO with differentially expressed lncRNAs screened, followed by evaluation of the regulatory relationship between Frizzled 4 (FZD4) and GATA6-AS1. The detailed regulatory mechanism by which GATA6-AS1 influences the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway and GC cell biological behaviors was investigated by treating SGC7901 cells with overexpressed GATA6-AS1, specific antisense oligonucleotide against GATA6-AS1, and lithium chloride (LiCl; activator of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway). Finally, xenograft nude mice were used to assay tumor growth and LNM in vivo. GATA6-AS1 was poorly expressed, but FZD4 was highly expressed in GC tissues and cells. Elevated GATA6-AS1 reduced FZD4 expression by recruiting enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2) and trimethylation at lysine 27 of histone H3 (H3K27me3) to the FZD4 promoter region via the inactivated Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway, whereby cell invasion, migration, and proliferation, tumor growth, and LNM in nude mice were reduced. Taken together, overexpressed GATA6-AS1 downregulated the expression of FZD4 to inactivate the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway, which ultimately inhibited GC progression., Graphical Abstract

As a kind of transport packaging, the corrugated paperboard box is widely used in logistics. During transport, the stacked packaging units are subjected to random vibration induced by vehicles. Thus, the random dynamic force will be exerted to corrugated paperboard box continuously. As the shipping distance increases, there will be cumulative fatigue damage within the corrugated paperboard box, which will weaken the mechanical property (stiffness) and the protective value of the corrugated paperboard box. Therefore, the dynamic damage and fatigue failure of corrugated paperboard box are crucial for the design of corrugated paperboard box. This article aims to develop the acceleration root mean square-life [Formula: see text] curve of corrugated paperboard box. At first, the accelerated random vibration test method was developed by the theory analysis according to the damage equivalent principle of a specified point within the corrugated paperboard box. Then, the random vibration experiments were conducted on the loaded corrugated paperboard box by taking white noise as excitation power spectral density. In the experiments, the acceleration transmissibility curve was recorded periodically. Relative stiffness was taken as the indicator to detect the cumulative damage and assess the structural integrity of the corrugated paperboard box. The stiffness reduction 20%, 30%, and 40% were taken as fatigue failure criteria to develop the [Formula: see text] curves. Results show that both the Basquin type and exponential function type are in good fitting with the [Formula: see text] curve of the corrugated paperboard box. The index b of the Basquin type is between 8.16 and 11.01, and b′ of the exponential function type between 21.19 and 26.84. The study provides reference for the accelerated random vibration test of corrugated paperboard box.

Here, single-atom Cu dispersed on N-doped graphene (Cu-SA/NGO) with relatively high Cu loading of 5.8 wt% was prepared for boosting the degradation of contaminants. This is the highest value yet reported for dispersion of single metal atoms on graphene. Atomically dispersed CuN4 moieties were confirmed by high-angle annular dark field-scanning transmission electron microscopy and X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy. The prepared Cu-SA/NGO shows remarkable activity and stability in the degradation of various organic contaminants at neutral pH. This excellent performance is mainly ascribed to the large number of active sites obtained from high single-atom-Cu loading. Density functional theory calculations confirmed that CuN4 moieties serve as the active sites, with low energy barriers for hydroxyl radical (˙OH) generation. These supported single-atom catalysts (SACs) catalyze the heterogeneous Fenton reaction via proton-mediated H2O2-homolytic pathway. This work offers a new method for fabricating various SACs with high loading levels for catalytic oxidation reactions.

To investigate the association between abnormal serum magnesium levels and the prognosis of elderly patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). Methods: A retrospective study was conducted on 1381 elderly patients with CAP in the First Hospital of Qinhuangdao between January 2015 and December 2018. Serum magnesium concentrations in the range of 0.75-1.25 mmol/L were defined as normal. Patients were assigned into normal, hypomagnesemia, and hypermagnesemia groups. The primary outcome was in-hospital mortality, indicating whether a patient died at the time of discharge from the hospital. The percentages of respiratory failure and mechanical ventilation were 18.6% and 10.6 % in the normal group, 29% and 16.5 % in the hypomagnesemia, and 42.9% and 35.7% in the hypermagnesemia groups. The occurrence of shock was 8.5% and 4.5% in the hypomagnesemia group and the normal group. The percentages of the length of stay at ICU were 14.9%, 18.8%, and 57.1% in the hypomagnesemia, normal, and hypermagnesemia groups. The in-hospital mortality rate was 5.3%, 9.1%, and 35.7% in the normal, hypomagnesemia, and hypermagnesemia groups, respectively. The results of univariate analysis showed that the in-hospital mortality in the hypomagnesemia group was 1.790 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.009∼3.176, P=0.046) times higher than that in the normal group; in the hypermagnesemia group, it was 9.947 (95% CI: 3.238-30.556, P0.001) times higher than that in the normal group. The results of multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that after adjusting for gender, age, diabetes, heart failure, cerebrovascular disease, cancer, estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), glucose, and CURB-65 score, in the hypomagnesemia group, the in-hospital mortality was 1.746 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.956∼3.186, P=0.070) times higher than that in the normal group, and 5.689 (95% CI: 1.583- 20.446, P=0.008) times higher in the hypermagnesemia group than that in the normal group. Abnormal serum magnesium levels are strongly associated with in-hospital mortality in elderly patients with CAP. The measurement of serum magnesium levels in elderly patients with CAP at admission may assist clinicians to determine the prognosis of such patients.

We discuss the stochastic gravitational-wave spectrum from dark confinement and chiral phase transitions in the early Universe. Specifically, we look at pure Yang-Mills theory for an arbitrary number of colours as well as SU(3) with quarks in different representations. We utilise thermodynamic lattice data and map it to effective models, such as the Polyakov-loop and the PNJL model. This allows us to compute gravitational-wave parameters and the corresponding gravitational-wave signal. We compare the signal to future gravitational-wave observatories such as the Big Bang Observer and DECIGO., Comment: 8 pages, 3 figures, contribution to the proceedings of the XVth Quark Confinement and the Hadron Spectrum conference at the University of Stavanger

Port-based teleportation (PBT) is a variation of regular quantum teleportation that operates without a final unitary correction. However, its behavior for higher-dimensional systems has been hard to calculate explicitly beyond dimension $d=2$. Indeed, relying on conventional Hilbert-space representations entails an exponential overhead with increasing dimension. Some general upper and lower bounds for various success measures, such as (entanglement) fidelity, are known, but some become trivial in higher dimensions. Here we construct a graph-theoretic algebra (a subset of Temperley-Lieb algebra) which allows us to explicitly compute the higher-dimensional performance of PBT for so-called "pretty-good measurements" with negligible representational overhead. This graphical algebra allows us to explicitly compute the success probability to distinguish the different outcomes and fidelity for arbitrary dimension $d$ and low number of ports $N$, obtaining in addition a simple upper bound. The results for low $N$ and arbitrary $d$ show that the fidelity asymptotically approaches ${N}/{d^2}$ for large $d$, confirming the performance of one lower bound from the literature., Comment: 7 pages, Published in Scientific Reports

The accurate measurement of the hanger tensile forces of suspension bridges is crucial for construction control and bridge maintenance. However, the commonly used vibration frequency method is not applicable to the short-hanger force assessment. The configuration of the main cable of a suspension bridge is closely related to hanger forces so that the main cable configuration can reflect the hanger forces. Based on the multi-segment catenary theory, this study proposed an analytical algorithm for the reverse assessment of hanger forces based on the measured configuration data of the main cable. First, the relationship between the hanger force and two critical parameters, that is, the horizontal force of the main cable and the catenary parameter, is established, in which the influence of the saddle arc on the main cable configuration is considered. Then, the horizontal force of the main cable is used as the breakthrough point, and a geometric condition (measuring the coordinates of a non-hanging point on the main cable) or a mechanical condition (measuring the tension of a long hanger by the vibration frequency method) is added. Using the nonlinear generalized reduced gradient method, the nonlinear equations are solved, and all hanger forces are identified. The proposed method feasibility and effectiveness are proved using a suspension bridge with a main span of 730 m as an example. The results show that the algorithm of adding a mechanical condition is lower in sensitivity, less affected by the accuracy of the additional condition, higher in precision, and easier to control, comparing to that of adding a geometric condition. Meanwhile, the horizontal force of the main cable and each hanger force exhibit a nearly perfect linear correlation.

Constructing potential anodes for sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) with a wide temperature property has captured enormous interests in recent years. Fe1−xS, a zero-band gap material confirmed by density states calculation, is an ideal electrode for fast energy storage on account of its low cost and high theoretical capacity. Herein, Fe1−xS nanosheet wrapped by nitrogen-doped carbon (Fe1−xS@NC) is engineered through a post-sulfidation strategy using Fe-based metal-organic framework (Fe-MOF) as the precursor. The obtained Fe1−xS@NC agaric-like structure can well shorten the charge diffusion pathway, and significantly enhance the ionic/electronic conductivities and the reaction kinetics. As expected, the Fe1−xS@NC electrode, as a prospective SIB anode, delivers a desirable capacity up to 510.2 mA h g−1 at a high rate of 8000 mA g−1. Additionally, even operated at low temperatures of 0 and −25°C, high reversible capacities of 387.1 and 223.4 mA h g−1 can still be obtained at 2000 mA g−1, respectively, indicating its huge potential use at harsh temperatures. More noticeably, the full battery made by the Fe1−xS@NC anode and Na3V2(PO4)2O2F cathode achieves a remarkable rate capacity (186.8 mA h g−1 at 2000 mA g−1) and an impressive cycle performance (183.6 mA h g−1 after 100 cycles at 700 mA g−1) between 0.3 and 3.8 V. Such excellent electrochemical performance is mainly contributed by its pseudocapacitive dominated behavior, which brings fast electrode kinetics and robust structural stability to the whole electrode.

Intronic transposable elements (TEs) comprise a large proportion in eukaryotic genomes, but how they regulate the host genes remains to be explored. Our forward genetic screen disclosed the plant specific RNA polymerases IV and V in suppressing intronic TE-mediated cryptic transcription initiation of a chimeric transcripts at FLC (FLCTE). Initiation of FLCTE transcription is blocked by the locally formed intronic heterochromatin, which is directly associated with RNA Pol V to inhibit the entry of RNA Pol II and the occupancy of H3K4 methylation. Genome-wide Pol II Ser5p native elongation transcription sequencing revealed that this is a common mechanism among intronic heterochromatin-containing genes. This study sheds light on deeply understanding the function of intronic heterochromatin on host genes expression in eukaryotic genome.

The intrinsic charge-transfer property bears the primary responsibility for the sluggish redox kinetics of the common electrode materials, especially operated at low temperatures. Herein, we report...

In contrast to its normal-oleic counterpart, high-oleic peanut has better keeping quality and multiple health benefits. Breeding high-oleic peanut through conventional means is a tedious process generally requiring several years. Genome editing, however, may shorten the duration. In this study, node injection method was used to transform normal-oleic Huayu 23, a popular peanut cultivar having dysfunctional FAD2A and functional FAD2B, with CRISPR/Cas9 construct targeting FAD2B, and two T0 seeds with over 80% oleic acid and 442A insertion in FAD2B were obtained. A T1 plant grown from the viable T0 seed produced high-oleic seeds. As a genotype-independent, simple and easy method for peanut genetic transformation, node injection has great potential in functional analysis of genes and peanut varietal improvement.

Background: There have been no systemic studies about right heart filling pressure and right ventricular (RV) distensibility in patients with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH). Therefore, we aimed to explore combinations of echocardiographic indices to assess the stages of RV diastolic dysfunction.Methods and Results: We recruited 32 healthy volunteers and 71 patients with CTEPH. All participants underwent echocardiography, cardiac catheterization (in patients with CTEPH), and a 6-min walk test (6MWT). The right atrial (RA) end-systolic area was adjusted for body surface area (BSA) (indexed RA area). RV global longitudinal diastolic strain rates (SRs) and RV ejection fraction (EF) were measured by speckle tracking and three-dimensional echocardiography (3D echo), respectively. All 71 patients with CTEPH underwent pulmonary endarterectomy. Of the 71 patients, 52 (73%) had decreased RV systolic function; 12 (16.9%), 26 (36.6%), and 33 (46.5%) patients had normal RV diastolic pattern, abnormal relaxation (stage 1), and pseudo-normal patterns (stage 2), respectively. The receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed that the optimal cut-off values of early diastolic SR −1 and indexed RA area > 8.8 cm2/BSA had the best accuracy in identifying patients with RV diastolic dysfunction, with 87% sensitivity and 82% specificity. During a mean follow-up of 25.2 months after pulmonary endarterectomy, the preoperative indexed RA area was shown as an independent risk factor of the decreased 6MWT distance.Conclusions: Measuring early diastolic SR and indexed RA area would be useful in stratifying RV diastolic function.

We study the gravitational-wave signal stemming from strongly coupled models featuring both, dark chiral and confinement phase transitions. We therefore identify strongly coupled theories that can feature a first-order phase transition. Employing the Polyakov-Nambu-Jona-Lasinio model, we focus our attention on SU(3) Yang-Mills theories featuring fermions in fundamental, adjoint, and two-index symmetric representations. We discover that for the gravitational-wave signals analysis, there are significant differences between the various representations. Interestingly we also observe that the two-index symmetric representation leads to the strongest first-order phase transition and therefore to a higher chance of being detected by the Big Bang Observer experiment. Our study of the confinement and chiral phase transitions is further applicable to extensions of the Standard Model featuring composite dynamics., 29 pages, 12 figures, 4 tables; v2 matches journal published version

Random sampling in high dimensions has successfully been applied to phenomena as diverse as nuclear resonances, neural networks and black hole evaporation. Here we revisit an elegant argument by the British physicist Dennis Sciama, which demonstrated that were our universe random, it would almost certainly have a negligible chance for life. Under plausible assumptions, we show that a random universe can masquerade as `intelligently designed,' with the fundamental constants instead appearing to be fined tuned to achieve the highest probability for life to occur. For our universe, this mechanism may only require there to be around a dozen currently unknown fundamental constants. More generally, this mechanism appears to be important for data science analysis on constrained sets. Finally, we consider wider applications., 8 pages, 5 figures. Request for comments

Objective To investigate the application value of indocyanine green(ICG)in the localization of small pulmonary nodules in video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery(VATS). Methods We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 45 patients with small nodules(diameter1 cm)who received preoperative localization with ICG and underwent VATS wedge resection from October 2020 to February 2021.The data for analysis included patients age,nodule diameter,distance from the parietal pleura,nodule density,success rate of localization,time of localization,incidence of complications,and pathological findings. Results The success rate of localization was 100%.The average nodule size was 6.3 mm,and the nodules were(10±11)mm from the parietal pleura.After localization of 59 nodules,13(22.0%)cases were found to have mild pneumothorax,and 4(6.7%)cases were found to have mild hemorrhage.The success rate of operation was 100%,and 43(72.9%)cases were confirmed adenocarcinoma by postoperative pathology. Conclusion ICG has a high success rate and good safety in the localization of small pulmonary nodules in VATS.

Human papillomavirus (HPV)-negative tumors distinguish from cancers associated with HPV infection. Due to its high rate of lymph node metastasis and difficulty in inchoate discover and diagnosis, the treatment efficacy of HPV-negative cancers is unsatisfactory. Epidemiological evidence suggests that HPV-negative tumor patients have a poor prognosis, and the mortality is higher than that of cancer patients caused by HPV infection. Evidence has demonstrated that noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) play a crucial role in regulation of physiological and developmental processes. Therefore, dysregulated ncRNAs are involved in the occurrence of diversified diseases, including cancer. In cumulative studies, ncRNAs are concerned with pathogenetic mechanisms of HPV-negative tumors via regulating gene expression and signal transduction. It is important to decipher the functions of ncRNAs in HPV-negative cancers and identify the potential biomarkers, which will bring new treatment strategies for improving outcome of cancer therapy. In this review, we demonstrated the effects of ncRNAs via regulating the development and progression of HPV- negative tumors by directly or indirectly acting on target molecules, which provide a basis for future tumor targeted therapy by targeting ncRNAs for HPV-negative cancers.

Background To explore the clinical effect of laminectomy alone and laminectomy with instrumentation in the treatment of TOLF. Methods A retrospective study was conducted on the clinical data of 142 patients with TOLF and laminectomy who underwent spine surgery at XXX Medical University from January 2003 to January 2018. According to whether the laminectomy was combined with instrumentation, the patients were divided into two groups: group A (laminectomy alone (LA), n = 77) and group B (laminectomy with instrumentation (LI), n = 65). Comparisons of possible influencing factors of demographic variables and operation-related variables were carried out between the two groups. In this study, the clinical effects of LA and LI in the treatment of TOLF were discussed. Thus, we explored the clinical effect of LA and LI in the treatment of TOLF. Results In terms of demographics, there was a statistically significant difference in BMI between group A and group B (P 0.05). In terms of preoperative symptoms, there was a significant difference in gait disturbance, pain in the LE, and urination disorder between group A and group B (P 0.05). In terms of operation-related variables, there was a significant difference in the preoperative duration of symptoms, intramedullary signal change on MRI, dural ossification, residual rate of cross-sectional spinal canal area on CT, shape on the sagittal MRI, operation time, pre-mJOA, post-mJOA at 1 year, and leakage of cerebrospinal fluid between group A and group B (P 0.05). The preoperative average JOA score of group A was 6.37 and that of group B was 5.19. In group A, the average JOA score at 6 months, 1 year and 2 years after surgery was 7.87, 8.23 and 8.26, respectively, and the average JOA score improvement rate was 32.79 %, 38.32 and 38.53 %, respectively. In group B, the average JOA score at 6 months, 1 year and 2 years after surgery was 7.74, 8.15 and 8.29, respectively, and the average JOA score improvement rate was 39.15 %, 46.86 and 47.12 %, respectively. Conclusions Currently, there is no consensus on whether instrumentation is needed after laminectomy for TOLF. We found that for patients with a long duration of gait disturbance, urination disorder, preoperative duration of symptoms, intramedullary signal change on MRI, dural ossification, residual rate of cross-sectional spinal canal area on CT less than 60 %, and shape on the sagittal MRI being beak and low, pre-mJOA had better clinical effects after LI as compared to those after LA, and the incidence of perioperative complications was lower.

As compared with normal-oleic peanut, high-oleic peanut proved to be heart-healthier, and had prolonged shelf life and extended seed longevity. However, there have concerns about the genetic diversity of present-day high-oleic peanut cultivars, which relied heavily on high-oleic donors with F435 type FAD2 mutations. In the study, a total of 104 high-oleic peanut cultivars/lines/mutants from main breeding teams in China were used to assess their genetic diversity with AhMITE markers. Of all the 31 cultivars tested, those from CTW team had the highest genetic variability. Again, of all the 73 lines studied, those from CTW team ranked first in genetic diversity. As compared with cultivars from CTW and C&Y teams, greater genetic diversity was detected in new lines of both teams, indicating that recent breeding efforts had resulted in improved genetic diversity in high-oleic peanut.

In this paper, we apply the scatterers of cylindrical rings to a two-dimensional photonic crystals (PCs) slab. The effects of the number of layers, the thickness, the index, and the height of the cylindrical layers on the photonic band gaps (PBGs) of such slab with different lattice arrangements are studied. It turns out that our new structure helps to obtain a large range of the PBGs. The maximum bandwidth is obtained with the value of 0.1497 (2πc/a). The PBGs are moved to the lower frequencies with the augment of thickness, refractive index, and height. The choice of height, refractive index, and thickness is a trade-off, and adding the number of dielectric layers is not always positively correlated with the area of PBGs. In addition, in the W1 waveguide with a triangular lattice layout, we obtain a slow light of 0.026×c. Compared with the square lattice, the triangular lattice is more suitable for slowing down the speed of light.

A growing attention is attracted to the use of recycled plastics as food contact materials, and its chemical safety research and discrimination approach are indispensable. In current study, ultraviolet-visible spectrometry (UV-Vis) and ultra-performance liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-TOF-MS) were used to provide spectral and mass fingerprinting for polyethylene (PE). Coupling with chemometrics, two methods were developed to discriminate recycled and virgin PE. UV-Vis combined with chemometrics could be a more accessible, simpler and faster approach. 237–331 nm in UV spectrum was regarded as marker region selected by orthogonal partial least-squares discrimination analysis (OPLS-DA) and the accuracy of both calibration and validation set could reach 100% in linear discrimination analysis (LDA) based on this region. Besides, 2314 ions were detected by UPLC-Q-TOF-MS and processed by MS-DIAL. 48 candidate chemicals were identified, including ketone, esters, carboxylic acid, alcohols and phenols, amine, nitriles, aldehydes and others. Possible origins of these compounds could be classified as plastic, food, drug, cosmetics and pesticide related. Many of these compounds are highly toxic, especially pesticide related, indicating that recycling in closed loop or sorting by the recycled plastic articles is very necessary if the recycled PE is going to be used as food contact material.

Cross-incompatibility between peanut cultigen and species outside section Arachis, impedes the transfer of desirable traits such as high resistance, good quality and high productivity from incompatible species in cultivar development. To recover hybrids from 4 incompatible crosses involving 3 wild species, viz., A. pusilla Benth., A. appresipilla Krapov. & W.C. Greg. and A. paraguariensis Chodat & Hassl., an in situ embryo rescue technique was exploited, resulting in hybrid seeds from all the 4 crosses. The key of this technique is to apply growth substances to pollinated flower bases, and the next step is to wait and harvest seeds directly, whose hybridity is to be tested by miniature inverted-repeat transposable element markers. The technique is advantageous over its in vitro counterpart in earlier intervention, easier operation, and shorter duration required for obtaining hybrids. These superiorities warrant its wide use in the genus Arachis as well as in other plant taxa where post-zygotic hybridization barriers also exist.

Owing to low ion/electron conductivity and large volume change, transitional metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) suffer from inferior cycle stability and rate capability when used as the anode of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). To overcome these disadvantages, amorphous molybdenum sulfide (MoSx ) nanospheres were prepared and coated with an ultrathin carbon layer through a simple one-pot reaction. Combining X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) with theoretical calculations, MoSx was confirmed as having a special chain molecular structure with two forms of S bonding (S2- and S22- ), the optimal adsorption sites of Li+ were located at S22- . As a result, the MoSx electrode exhibits superior cycle and rate capacities compared with crystalline 2H-MoS2 (e.g., delivering a high capacity of 612.4 mAh g-1 after 500 cycles at 1 A g-1 ). This is mainly attributed to more exposed active S22- sites for Li storage, more Li+ transfer pathways for improved ion conductivity, and suppressed electrode structure pulverization of MoSx derived from the inherent chain-like molecular structure. Quantitative charge storage analysis further demonstrates the improved pseudocapacitive contribution of amorphous MoSx induced by fast reaction kinetics. Moreover, the morphology contrast after cycling demonstrates the dispersion of active materials is more uniform for MoSx than 2H-MoS2 , suggesting the MoSx can well accommodate the volume stress of the electrode during discharging. Through regulating the molecular structure, this work provides an effective targeted strategy to overcome the intrinsic issues of TMDs for high-performance LIBs.

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a clinically approved, minimally invasive therapeutic technique that can induce the regression of targeted lesions via generating excess cytotoxic reactive oxygen species. However, due to the limited penetration depth of visible excitation light and the intrinsic hypoxia microenvironment of solid tumors, the efficacy of PDT in the treatment of cancer, especially deep-seated or large tumors, is unsatisfactory. Herein, we developed an efficient in vivo PDT system based on a nanomaterial, dihydrolipoic acid coated gold nanocluster (AuNC@DHLA), that combined the advantages of large penetration depth in tissue, extremely high two-photon (TP) absorption cross section (σ2 ∼ 106 GM), efficient ROS generation, a type I photochemical mechanism, and negligible in vivo toxicity. With AuNC@DHLA as the photosensitizer, highly efficient in vivo TP-PDT has been achieved.

SUMMARY Thermoelasticity extends the classical elastic theory by coupling the fields of particle displacement and temperature. The classical theory of thermoelasticity, based on a parabolic-type heat-conduction equation, is characteristic of an unphysical behaviour of thermoelastic waves with discontinuities and infinite velocities as a function of frequency. A better physical system of equations incorporates a relaxation term into the heat equation; the equations predict three propagation modes, namely, a fast P wave (E wave), a slow thermal P wave (T wave), and a shear wave (S wave). We formulate a second-order tensor Green's function based on the Fourier transform of the thermodynamic equations. It is the displacement–temperature solution to a point (elastic or heat) source. The snapshots, obtained with the derived second-order tensor Green's function, show that the elastic and thermal P modes are dispersive and lossy, which is confirmed by a plane-wave analysis. These modes have similar characteristics of the fast and slow P waves of poroelasticity. Particularly, the thermal mode is diffusive at low thermal conductivities and becomes wave-like for high thermal conductivities.

With the rapid development of economy and society, the quality of groundwater is deteriorating under the dual influence of natural factors and anthropogenic factors, and it seriously threatens the safety of human drinking water. Identifying and analyzing the impact of anthropogenic activities is the key to solving this problem. Based on the groundwater problem in Changle County, Shandong Province, P.R. China, 43 groundwater samples were taken and tested. The statistical characteristics of the monitoring data, the groundwater chemical types, spatial distribution of groundwater, and influencing factors were analyzed by using enrichment factor, Mahalanobis distance, grey water footprint, and so on. The analysis results show that the overall water quality of Changle County is poor, and the main over-standard ions are Cl- , SO2- 4, and NO- 3. There is obvious spatial heterogeneity in the groundwater quality. The spatial variation of NO- 3 is affected by structural factors (topography, hydrology, etc.) and random factors (industrial, agricultural, etc.), and the spatial variability of NO- 3 is the most significant. Other water quality indicators are mainly affected by structural factors. The mass concentration of most ions decreases gradually from north to south, and the overall water quality in the southern region is better than that in the northern region. Thus, the supervision of chemical fertilizers and pesticides should be strengthened. The advanced treatment and reuse of wastewater from industrial parks should be promoted to improve the quality of groundwater and ensure the safety of human drinking water.

Experiments with ten groups of limestone specimens (four samples per group) under ten specific temperatures, 25 degrees C, 100 degrees C, 200 degrees C, 300 degrees C, 400 degrees C, 500 degrees C, 600 degrees C, 700 degrees C, 800 degrees C, and 900 degrees C, show that the high-temperature effect on the elastic modulus of rocks conforms to thermoelastic responses with a quadratic temperature function. The thermal damage factor can be reduced, by ignoring the effect of Poisson's ratios and densities, to simply a ratio of the P-wave velocities before and after high-temperature treatments. Based on the collected experimental data, we correlate the P-wave velocities change rate with both the peak compressive strength and effective solid matrix. It demonstrates that the high-temperature effect on the thermal damage factor can be directly expressed as the rate of change in the peak compressive strength and effective solid matrix. All these properties (thermal damage factor calculated by the P-wave velocity, peak compressive strength, and effective solid matrix) share a similar exponential trend with increasing temperature. The rates of change in the elastic modulus, P-wave velocity, peak compressive strength, and effective solid matrix also exhibit a similar powerful trend with increasing temperature. This study provides insight into the detailed characteristics of thermal damage related to the mechanical property of limestones exposed to high temperature.

With the rapid development of wind power, there are increasing concerns about the negative ecological effects of its construction and operation. However, previous studies have mainly focused on the effects of wind farms on flying fauna (i.e., birds and bats) or climate change separately from communities or ecosystems, and little attention has been paid to vegetation during wind farm operation. Furthermore, few studies have referred to vulnerable ecosystems with low biomass and biodiversity. In this research, a field study was conducted to investigate the effects of wind farms on the individual traits, community structures and ecosystem functions of Gobi Desert ecosystems. The effects were measured by comparing interfering areas (IAs, located between 40 m and 90 m in the downstream direction of the wind turbine) with non-interfering areas (NIAs, located over 200 m from the wind turbine matrixes). The results showed that (1) plant individuals in IAs were less stressed and in better physiological states than those in NIAs; (2) for community structures, IA plants tended to be shorter and denser and had a higher coverage condition than that of NIA plants; and (3) ecosystem functions in IAs were significantly improved due to the existence of shrubs and higher biomass. Meanwhile, significant correlations were identified between the wind wake caused by the large spinning blades and the community structures. Constructing wind turbines in the Gobi Desert is a win-win strategy that both contributes to the growth of desert vegetation with a favourable microclimate and sufficiently utilizes wind power to produce clean energy.

Subduction of the Paleo-Pacific Plate played an important role in the evolution of the eastern margin of the Eurasian continent. However, the details of the processes of subduction during the late Mesozoic remain poorly constrained. Here we examine the geochronology and geochemistry of Cretaceous volcanic rocks from eastern NE China, with the aim of understanding the variation of subduction process. Cretaceous volcanism in the region mainly occurs in the Raohe–Mishan-Suifenhe–Wangqing and Jiamusi–Jixi areas in eastern Jilin and Heilongjiang provinces, as well as in the Lesser Xing'an Range where volcanism extends from the continental margin farther inland. The Cretaceous volcanic rocks in the Raohe–Mishan–Suifenhe–Wangqing (RMSW) area are composed of basalts, basaltic andesites, andesites, dacites, and rhyolites with late Early Cretaceous (122–106 Ma) ages and dacites that yield early Late Cretaceous (96–93 Ma) ages. A mixed source of compositionally heterogeneous mantle and crustal rocks is assumed based on the compositional range of volcanic rocks. Adakitic andesites (114–110 Ma) were derived from a mantle source modified by slab-derived melt that infiltrated the mantle wedge. Adakitic dacites (122–106 and 96–93 Ma) were produced by partial melting of thickened lower crust that formed in response to earlier subduction of the Paleo-Pacific Plate beneath Eurasia. The rhyolites and dacites that lack adakitic signatures were derived from partial melting of a depleted lower-crustal block that was accreted during the Neoproterozoic. In particular, the late Early Cretaceous (106 Ma) basalt was derived from a depleted lithospheric mantle that was metasomatized by slab-derived fluids and subsequently by asthenospheric melts at a relatively shallow depths, implying rollrback of the subducted Paleo-Pacific Plate. The Cretaceous volcanism in the Jiamusi–Jixi area formed during the late Early Cretaceous (124–110 Ma) and shows a bimodal distribution of compositions with a prominent ‘Daly Gap’. The mafic members were generated by re-melting of depleted lithospheric mantle that was modified by subduction-related fluids and underwent fractional crystallization. The coeval felsic end-members, with or without A-type characteristics, were generated by partial melting of juvenile crustal material, consistent with an extensional environment related to subduction of the Paleo-Pacific Plate. Cretaceous volcanism in the Lesser Xing'an Range shows a bimodal compositional distribution of volcanic rocks with a ‘Daly Gap’ and a period without volcanism at 108–97 Ma. Andesites with and without adakitic signatures were derived from partial melting of mantle that was hybridized by slab-derived melts and metasomatized by a fluid-rich subduction component. In contrast, the coeval A-type rhyolites were generated by partial melting of juvenile crust, implying the migration of the extensional environment. The formation of, and spatio-temporal relationships between, Cretaceous volcanic rocks in NE China, combined with the regional geological data, suggest a transition from low-angle subduction to slab rollback and subsequent changes in the direction of motion of the Paleo-Pacific Plate during the late Early Cretaceous to the Late Cretaceous.

We have developed a numerical algorithm for simulation of wave propagation in linear thermoelastic media, based on a generalized Fourier law of heat transport in analogy with a Maxwell model of viscoelasticity. The wavefield is computed by using a grid method based on the Fourier differential operator and two time-integration algorithms to cross-check solutions. Because the presence of a slow quasistatic mode (the thermal mode) makes the differential equations stiff and unstable for explicit time-stepping methods, first, a second-order time-splitting algorithm solves the unstable part analytically and a Runge-Kutta method the regular equations. Alternatively, a first-order explicit Crank-Nicolson algorithm yields more stable solutions for low values of the thermal conductivity. These time-stepping methods are second- and first-order accurate, respectively. The Fourier differential provides spectral accuracy in the calculation of the spatial derivatives. The model predicts three propagation modes, namely, a fast compressional or (elastic) P-wave, a slow thermal P diffusion/wave (the T-wave), having similar characteristics to the fast and slow P-waves of poroelasticity, respectively, and an S-wave. The thermal mode is diffusive for low values of the thermal conductivity and wave-like for high values of this property. Three velocities define the wavefront of the fast P-wave, i.e., the isothermal velocity in the uncoupled case, the adiabatic velocity at low frequencies, and a higher velocity at high frequencies.

Gaussian vibration signal generated by the current shaking table according to power spectral density (PSD) in international standards was widely used for packaging random vibration test in laboratory. However, the actual road vehicle vibration is non-Gaussian. The key limitation is that the simulated Gaussian vibration cannot reconstruct the shock events buried in the vibration, which may result in inaccurate reliability evaluation of cushion packaging. A new simulation technique called shock extraction method has been proposed and demonstrated in our earlier study. This article is a further study of our previous research. The shock extraction method was compared with other three representative methods including the single level PSD, three way split spectral and wavelet decomposition in terms of simulation effect. The results revealed that the signal simulated by the shock extraction method was closest to the original signal, which possessed the same vibration intensity, duration, approximate statistical characteristics and PSD plots with the original signal. The simulation effect of the shock extraction method was the best, and the worst was the single level PSD. The wavelet decomposition and three way split spectral were somewhere in the middle.

Background The microRNA, miR-139-5p, plays an important role in the initiation and progression of various tumor types including osteosarcoma (OS). Objective This study aimed to detect the serum miR-139-5p expression in OS and analyze its association with clinical variables. Methods Blood samples were taken from 98 OS patients and 50 healthy individuals, and serum miR-139-5p levels were measured by quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. Results We found the expression of serum miR-139-5p in OS patients was significantly lower than that in healthy individuals, and miR-139-5p levels were dramatically decreased in patients with distant metastasis or in higher clinical stage. Receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) analysis revealed that serum miR-139-5p could well discriminate OS patients from healthy controls with a high sensitivity and specificity. Moreover, low serum miR-139-5p expression was strongly associated with distant metastasis, tumor stage and shorter overall survival. Both univariate and multivariate analyses showed that serum miR-139-5p level could serve as an independent prognostic marker for OS. Conclusions Taken together, data from this study demonstrates that serum miR-139-5p could be used as a tumor biomarker for OS diagnosis and prognosis.

This paper presents two mathematical models to predict the initial peak stress and the plateau stress of five-layered and seven-layered corrugated paperboards respectively, which are simplified and regarded as the orthotropic panels under longitudinal compression. The resultant stress-strain curve exhibits an initial stiffening stage with the initial peak stress determining the edgewise crush resistance of paperboard, and a long plateau stage with which most impact energy can be absorbed. By analyzing the elastic buckling of board walls, the model for prediction of the initial peak stress is obtained, while the plateau stress model is developed based on the gradual process of compression and energy conservation principle. And then, experiments are conducted to validate the presented models by comparing the predicted values with those by experiments, showing overall good agreement. It can be concluded that the proposed models are suitable for design of multi-layered corrugated box and cushioning packaging.

We show that the apparent horizon and the region near $r=0$ of an evaporating charged, rotating black hole are timelike. It then follows that for black holes in nature, which invariably have some rotation, have a channel, via which classical or quantum information can escape to the outside, while the black hole shrinks in size. We discuss implications for the information loss problem., Minor typos corrected, version to match the published version in the International Journal of Modern Physics D

Four new monoterpene indole alkaloids (1–4) together with six known alkaloids (5–10) were isolated from the roots of Bousigonia mekongensis. Compounds 3 and 4 were the first examples of condylocarpan-adenine type alkaloids obtained from natural plant resource. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic data. All compounds were evaluated for their inhibiting glucose-induced mesanginal cell proliferation and protecting high glucose-evoked podocyte injury activities. (-)-demethoxycarbonyldihydrogambirtannine (5) can significantly antagonize glucose-induced podocyte injury with EC50 value of 6.5 ± 1.2 μM.

Background To analyze the impact of spino cranial angle (SCA) on alteration of cervical alignment after multi-level anterior cervical discectomy fusion (ACDF) and explore the relationship between SCA and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) scores. Material and methods In total, 49 patients following multi-level ACDF for multi-level cervical spondylotic myelopathy (MCSM) with more than 2 years follow-up period were enrolled. Radiographic data including SCA were measured. Receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve analysis was applied to confirm the optimal cut-off values of SCA for predicting sagittal balance. Patients were divided into two groups on the basis of the cut-off value of preoperative SCA. Correlation coefficients were analyzed between SCA and HRQOL scores. Results Optimal cut-off values for predicting sagittal balance was SCA of 88.6°. Patients with higher SCA, no matter preoperatively, postoperatively and at follow-up, got lower T1-Slope (T1s), C2–C7 lordosis angle (CA) and higher △SCA (pre vs post: p = 0.036, pre vs F/U: p = 0.022). Simultaneously, pre-SCA, post-SCA, and F/U-SCA in the high SCA group were positively correlated with the pre-NDI, post-NDI, and F/U-NDI scores respectively (pre: p < 0.001, post: p = 0.015, F/U: p = 0.003). However, no correlation was performed in the low SCA group. Conclusion An excessive SCA can be considered to cause poorer clinical outcomes at preoperative and better correction after surgery. The SCA could be used as a new reference value to determine sagittal balance parameters of the cervical spine and to assess the quality of life.

The purpose of our study was to analyze and compare the spino cranial angle (SCA) in patients with degenerative cervical spondylolisthesis (DCS) and asymptomatic controls and to determine whether SCA could help diagnose DCS.We enrolled 50 patients diagnosed with DCS (4.3%) from among 1168 patients and the same number of asymptomatic participants as the control group by using cervical radiographs. Both groups underwent cervical radiographs and computed tomography at the same time. Various sagittal parameters were measured on computed tomography in a standardized supine position and compared with the asymptomatic control group. The Spearman correlation coefficient was applied to test the correlation among the sagittal parameters in the DCS group. Multivariate logistic regression analysis and receiver operating characteristic curve analysis were performed to determine whether SCA could help predict DCS.Fifty patients were enrolled in the DCS group, and 50 asymptomatic participants were included in the control group. The SCA was significantly lower for the DCS group than for the control group (76.84 ± 7.48 degrees vs. 82.47 ± 8.06 degrees, P0.001), and the T1 slope (T1s) was significantly greater for the DCS group than for the control group (27.29 ± 7.84 degrees vs. 22.28 ± 6.43 degrees, P = 0.001). Except for SCA and T1s, no other parameters showed significant differences. The SCA on the computed tomography scan was significantly correlated with the values of the T1s (r = -0.890, P0.001), cervical lordosis (r = -0.437, P = 0.002), C2-C7 sagittal vertical axis (r = 0.397, P = 0.004), and thoracic inlet angle (r = -0.565, P0.001). Multivariate logistic regression analysis and receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed that both a lower SCA and a higher T1s could be risk factors for DCS, and an SCA of79.1 degrees demonstrated significant diagnostic value for the detection of DCS.Patients in the DCS group had a lower SCA and a higher T1s. Both a lower SCA and a higher T1s could be risk factors for DCS, and an SCA of79.1 degrees demonstrated significant diagnostic value for the detection of DCS.

Objective To investigate the correlation between CT texture analysis and synchronous distant metastasis in patients with lymph node-negative colorectal cancer. Methods The preoperative CT images of 82 patients with lymph node-negative colorectal cancer were analyzed retrospectively.There were 12 patients with simultaneous distant metastasis and 70 patients without simultaneous distant metastasis.The maximum plane of the lesion on plain scan and portal CT images was analyzed by TexRAD software.When the spatial scaling factor(SSF)was 0 and 2-6,six texture parameters were obtained,and the differences of texture parameters between the two groups were compared.The counting data were analyzed by chi-square test and the measurement data by Mann-Whitney test. Results There was a significant difference in the skewness of SSF=3 between the simultaneous distant metastasis group and the non-synchronous metastasis group on plain CT scan(

Field application of numerical simulation to assist injection and production deployment has a long history of fitting cycle, heavy workload and low efficiency. It is necessary to improve the history matching method, improve the efficiency and precision, and ensure the timeliness and implementation effect of injection and production deployment plan. In this paper, the ZhongQu, Haiyang oil production plant, is taken as the application block. Based on the existing mathematical model and optimization algorithm, the rationality and adaptability of fitting parameters are analyzed and studied. Compile the automatic history matching software, combine with the long experience of the block, judge and analyze the fitting effect, and ensure that the automatic history matching process is reasonable and effective. Combined with the existing post-processing software of injection and production allocation results, the calculation of block stratification indexes are realized, and the mathematical model result data are converted into forms to realize the efficient stratifications and fine injection and production allocation and the scheme prediction and optimization. The automatic history matching software was applied, and the matching result was accelerated by 2–5 times. Combined with the post-processing software, the effect of injection and production in ZhongQu of guantao formation was remarkable. From January to December 2019, ZhongQu of guantao formation water injection rate was adjusted to 242 Wells, among which 202 Wells were dynamically allocated, the injection-production ratio was increased to 32 Wells and decreased to 8 Wells. The overall daily injection volume was changed to 7175 m3. The production of corresponding wells added 28,343 tons. The promotion and application of the software has reduced the history matching workload of engineers and improved the efficiency of injection-production allocation. It has formed a series of technology which include numerical-simulation-aided layered and fine injection-production deployment technology which include automatic history matching technology, reservoir numerical simulation and mathematical model result post-processing software. The series of technology provides data and technical support for building intelligent oilfield.

Five 3-formyl-2-arylbenzofuran derivatives, including three new compounds (